The present invention relates to a free movement guiding installation for training horses on a circular longeing path.
Free movement guiding installations for training horses which can be assembled on an open field or in an arena are known in the art. Such installations include a circular longeing path which is also called a hoof track. Instead of being led by persons holding a line, horses are guided through a device on this longeing path. This device, similar to a carrousel, consists of a hub-spoke construction comprising support arms projecting radially outwards from a rotational center. A guide grating hangs downwards on each support arm at its radial outer region. Each guide grating is provided with rubber flaps which are fastened to its lower edge and hang freely downwards.
The hub-spoke construction consists of a stable support design made of metal which is rotatably and centrally mounted on a column. The column may be fastened in a standing manner, on or in the ground, or in an arena, in particular a circular arena, centrally suspended on the roof construction. The hub-spoke construction comprises a central drive ring concentric to the rotatable mounting. This drive ring is driven by an electric motor by way of friction coupling, via a friction wheel. The electric motors are controllable in their speed and rotational direction. With this, the complete hub-spoke construction can be driven, accelerated, braked and also changed in rotational direction. The horses in a horse guiding region must run around between, in each case, two neighboring guide gratings on the longeing path according to a predetermined speed. The guide gratings may be electrically charged so that the horses do not attempt to reduce the speed of the whole installation by utilizing their bodies to brake. These installations have a great weight so that the hub-spoke design is sufficiently stable. This hub-spoke design is basically the same as the design of a carrousel or an enormously over-dimensioned umbrella. Therefore, one may not subsequently attach any additional guide gratings in order to provide a larger number of horse guiding regions.
Since the drive is controlled by the inner concentric ring, the circumferential speed of the drive is very slow. Due to the very large lever arms of the support arms at the outer circumference, the circumferential speed is much greater in the region of the guide gratings and the longeing path. As a result, this demands a very exact control, a greatly dimensioned electric motor, and a suitable loading of the friction coupling. The complete rotatable mounting must likewise stand up to the heavy weight and the large torques which in turn make the whole design more complex and heavy. Due to this, there are moments of inertia, in particular during acceleration and deceleration, which likewise adds load to the whole design. Such a free movement guiding installation is taught in German patent DE 28 52 777 A1.
German patent DE 19746562 shows another design of a free movement guiding installation for training horses with a circular longeing path. This design is limited on the inside and outside with, in each case, a fence or a wall, and is covered over supports for supporting a roof. In the region of the longeing path a support design hanging down is arranged on the support. At the lower end of the support design, one support wheel is attached on both sides. The support wheels are arranged at an angle to one another and engage obliquely downwards onto a revolving profile ring. The support wheels, due to their arrangement, may assume a guiding function as well as a support function for the revolving profile ring. A drive motor acts on and drives the profile ring via a drive wheel Guide gratings are suspendingly attached at equal distances to one another on the profile ring. This system has severe dynamic problems due to the size and mass of the profile ring. These problems lead to the production of noise, shakings and the rough running of the free movement guiding installation.
The present invention provides a free movement guiding installation for training horses on a circular longeing path, which does not have the disadvantages discussed above. The inventive device reduces, or alleviates, the occurring dynamic problems. Noise conditions, shakings and rough running are improved.
The inventive free movement guiding installation comprises a number of guide gratings which are suspended on a motor-drivable profile ring, revolve in the region of the circular longeing path and are each distanced to one another, wherein the intermediate space between two neighboring guide gratings forms a horse guiding region, and wherein the profile ring is movably held on supports over the circular longeing path by way of a suspension which comprises a frame element with support wheels for the profile ring.